Mold disk driving mechanism for typographical casting machines



May 19, 1953 P. HILPMAN 2,538,793

MOLD DISK DRIVING MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL CASTING MACHINES Filed July 19, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet l I N VEN TOR.

1%0/ Mfbmafi v WM 12 7 A OH/VEXS May 19, 1953 P. HILPMAN 2,638,792

MOLD DISK DRIVING MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL CASTING MACHINES Filed July 19, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2

I JNVENTOR. Paul f/I'ZbIYJoY/Y We Y Q 1 525 May 19, 1953 P. HILPMAN 2,638,792

MOLD DISK DRIVING MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL CASTING MACHINES Filed July 19, 1950 4 Sheets-$heet 3 R q INVENTOR.

' Pau/ fill/p07 y 19,1953 F HILPMAN 2,638,792

MOLD DISK DRIVING MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL CASTING MACHINES Filed July 19, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 7 H11 2 A mum INVENTOR Patented May 19, 1953 MOLD DISK DRIVING MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL CASTING MACHINES Paul Hilpman, Garden City, N. Y., assignor to Mergenthaler Linotype Company, a corporation of New York Application July 19, 1950, Serial No. 174,647 6 Claims. (01. 74-435) This invention relates to typographical casting machines, such as Linotype machines of the general organization represented in Letters Patent of the United States to O. Mergenthaler, No. 436,532, wherein a composed line of matrices is presented to the face of a mold carried by a rotatable disk, the mold filled with molten metal to form a type bar or slug against the matrices, and the slug thereafter ejected from the mold and trimmed.

The rotative motion is imparted to the mold disk through an arrangement of gears driven by a large mold turning wheel (often referred to as a cam). The mold turning wheel carries on its circumference a short and a long gear segment adapted to mesh with and rotate a bevel pinion, the short segment serving to rotate the mold disk through a one-quarter turn from the slug ejecting to the slug casting position, and the long segment serving to rotate the disk through a threequarter turn from the slug casting to the slug ejecting position. The location of the mold in the slug casting and slug ejecting positions is critical and, therefore, after each of the partial rotations, the mold disk is brought to a stop by a friction brake and moved bodily to cause the locking studs thereon to enter a pair of banking blocks on the vise framein order to effect accurate alignment in each position. However, in order to prevent excessive wear on either the mold disk locking studs or the banking blocks, it is necessary to locate the mold disk as accurately as possible beforehand. For this purpose, a square block is situated directly behind and. on the same shaft with the bevel pinion, there being very little clearance between the sides of the mold turning wheel and. said block. During the rotation of the shaft by one of the gear segments, there is sufiicient clearance provided to permit the locating block to revolve. However, when the partial rotation to a new position has been accomplished, the clearance is greatly reduced so that the further rotation of the mold turning wheel properly aligns the locatingblocks and thereby properly positions the mold disk for its forward bodily movement. I

While in general, this arrangement for intermittently rotating the mold disk between slu casting and. ejecting positions and locating it in each position is satisfactory, it is, nevertheless, open to sever-a1 objections. For one thing, considerable impact results when the gear segments initially come into driving contact with the driven bevel pinion, subjecting the parts to severe wear and strain even to the extent of 2 breakage at high speeds. A similarly objectionable impact results between the mold turning wheel and the locating block in arresting the mold disk in its rotative positions.

The present invention eliminates these. and other objectionable features by providing im proved driving means for the mold disk .with emphasis on reducing the impact between the driving and driven gear parts. More specifically, means are provided for imparting initial acceleration to the driven bevel pinion before the driving gear segment comes into contact therewith. Means are also provided to pre-position the mold disk to reduce the impact between the locating block and the mold turning wheel and, hence, to reduce the wear between the mold disk locking studs and banking blocks.

The present invention will allow operationof the machine at higher speeds, increase the span of life of the operating parts, reduce vibration, and result in less noisy operation.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention is shown merely in preferred formand by way of example, and obviouslly many changes andvariations may be made therein and in its mode of adaptation which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any form or embodiment except insofar as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a portion of a Linotlype machine equipped with the present invens Fig. 2 is a rear view, partly in section, showing the driving mechanism for the mold disk just prior to operative engagement of a gear segment with the driven pinion; i

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the parts in operative engagement;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a top view of the parts, showing the mold disk located and locked in one of its advanced positions;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the mold disk showing the operative mold in ejecting position ang aligned with respect to the trimming'knives; an

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the molds, showing its locking stud and the cooperating banking block on the vise frame. I

The rotatable mold disk I is provided witha plurality of molds 2' (four as in the: example shown in Fig. 6), and is actuated in the usual manner by a driving pinion 3 meshing with the peripheral toothed portion 3 of the disk. The pinion 3 is detachably connected to a shaft so that it can be disconnected therefrom by the knob 4 and rotated by hand (when the machine is at rest to bring any selected one'o'f the molds 2 into use. At its rear end, the shaft 5-carriesa small spur gear 6 which engages a larger spur gear 1 on a short jack shaft 8. At the rear endof the jack shaft 8, there is a small-bevel'pin-ion 9 and a steel block it), the side'platesof the latter being hardened and ground.

The power for rotating the'molddisk l is supplied from the motor driven main cam shaft H; the cams assembled thereon controlling most of the mechanical actions of the machine. mold turning cam or wheel ii is mounted on said shaft and carries on its circumference a. long bevel gear segment l3 and a short bevel gear segmenti-ai-tne long segment being three times the length ofthe short segment: In each: cycle f operation of the machine-the r'noldthrning-whe'el [2 makes one complete clockwise rotation (as viewed in Fig. l' ofthe drawings), enabling the shortse'g'in'ent i l to mesh with and drive the bevel -pinion' 9 in order to rotate the mold disk i through a'Orie -quarter turn from ejecting to castmgposmo and similarly the long segment i3 to 'l dfiate the mold disk I through a three-quarter turn-norm casting back to ejecting: position.

After the mold 2 inuse has been brought into uppermost l'ioriz'on'tal position for casting, the disk I is moved bodily forward and positioned exactly by the lockin ins 01 studs 5 (569F185. 2.

51-6 and 7)'-o'f the two inoperative vertically disposed molds, said'st'uds I5 being adapted to enter a pair of banking blocks it on the Vice frame ii of the machine. While the'mold dish is so positioned;- molten metal is forced into the mold against the line of matrices for the casting of the slug; After casting,-themold'diskis moved bodily backward to withdraw thelo'cking' studs iEfrom thebanlring blocks ltyand the' mold disk is then rotated through 270 to locate themoldwith 'the Contained-slug in ejecting. position, where once again thernold disk i ismoved bodily forward to cause the locking studs it of the vertically dis-- posed m'old's'to' enter the banking blocks it". With the mold disk thus positioned, the'slug' is forced from the mold between a. pair trimming. knives F8} a's sl-i'own in Fig. 6. The mold disk is again moved bodily rearward to withdraw the' locking studs from the banking blocks and remainsat rest to'await the beginning of the next 'cycl'eof 'opratitins:

As heretofore explained, in order to prevent wear on either the mold disk locking studs It or the'loanki'ri'g' blocks IE, it is necessary toloeate the disk Ias accurately as possible'befdi'e it's" ad"- vancing movement's. For this" purpose}; each of the gear segments l3 and M has immediately before and after it on the'mold turning wheel 1 2 a hardenedground steel shoe E9 to cooperate with the square block it. During rotation of the jack shaft: 8'by the segments i3- and M, ample clearsince is provided for the turning of thesq-ua-re bloclrrlll, but after. the segments [3- and- M leave the bevel pinion 9, the mold disk i is immediately decelerate'd by the friction brake acting on the shaft 5' and brought to a positive stopinthe proper position by engagement of the steel shoe IBwithaside of the square bloc-k- H). With the mold disk I thusly prelocated, the studs .l-dare 4 fairly accurately aligned with the banking blocks 16.

As thus far described, the parts, their construction and mode of operation are the same as in the commercial Linotype machines.

According to the present invention, and as best shown in Fig'sL'ZjB andt; identical'steel plates 2 i, provided with the beveled faces 22', are attached to the rear face of the spur gear '5, said plates being oppositely disposed and situated adjacent to the opposite sides of the square block ID, the

operative-pesos said plates 2! being that shown at the right in the drawings. The outer edge 23 of the plate" M, which is close to the circumferenoerof thespur gear 1, should be approximately straightand parallel to the respective operative side-ofthe' square block ill. Each of the gear segments l3 and I4 is provided at its foremost or leading end with 3, lug 24 and at its rearmost or following end with a lug 25, said lugs 2 and 25 projecting radially from the mold turning wheel l2.

As shown in Fig. 2, just before the teethor the bevel gear segment (the shortsegment i lbeing the'oneillustrated in the figure) run into active engagement with the teeth'of the bevel pinion 9, the projecting lug fl t comes into glancing contact with the beveled face 22' of the plate 2i and imparts initial acceleration to the jack-shaft 6 (see Fig. 3). The teeth of the bevel pinion 9* will, therefore, be in motion when engaged by the teeth of thedriving segment, and the impact between the driving and driven teeth will thus-be greatly reduced.

When the short gear" segment it is supplying the driving motion, the'jack shaft 8 will be rotated thereby through nearly .180", bringing the leftwardly situated plate 2i into rightward oroperative position. Now, when the teeth of the driving segment runoutof activeengagement with the teeth of the-pinion 9, the latter will be q'uiokly-dece'lerated by the friction brake 25? (acting: on the shaft 5) and the projecting lug 25 in vertical-descent atthis point will brush against the straight edge 23 and bring the latter into ve'rticalr alignment therewith to assure proper positioning or the mold disk, thereby reducing the impact between the camshoe i9 and the squareiblock I0;

When the long segment i3 is supplying the driving motion to the mold disk i, the operation is-pre'cisely as described above exceptthat (being three'times longer than the short segment) it will rotate-.the-jack shaft 8' through nearly 540,

. Itis obvious that the operative surfaces of the plates Zl' could be made integral with-the spur gear 7;. if desired.

.As will be understood, the-invention does not require the use of both gear segments i3 and it, the two being shown as conventional.

What is claimed is:

l. In or fora typographical casting machine", mold disk drivingmeehanism' comprising, in combination, a driving gear segment, a driven pinion, abevelled element associated with the driven pinion, and a projection carried-by the driving gear segment for contacting the bevelled element to impart initial acceleration to the driven pin-ion before the teeth of the gear. segment and .pinioncome into engagement.

2'. In orfor a typographical castingmachine, mold disk driving mechanism comprising, in

combination-,1 a: driving gear segment-,- a driven shaft; a; driven pinion mounted on said shaft, a bevelled-element operatively carriedby said .haft, and a projecting lug carried by said. gear egment for contacting said hevelled surface to impart initial acceleration to the driven shaft 0 reduce the impact between the teeth of the ,ear segment and the driven pinion,

3, In or for a typographical casting machine, mold disk driving mechanism comprising, in combination, a toothed driving segment, a toothed driven member, a bevelled element associated with the driven member, a projection carried by the driving member to engage the bevelled. element to impart initial acceleration to the driven member, a straight edged element associated with the driven member, and a second projection carried by the driving member to engage the straightedged element in properly positioning the driven member in its operated position.

4. In or for a typographical casting machine, mold disk driving mechanism comprising, in combination, a driving gear segment, a driven shaft, a driven pinion mounted thereon, a bevelled plate operatively carried by the driven shaft, one side of said plate having a straight-edge, a projection carried by said driving segment for engaging the bevelled part of said plate to thereby impart acceleration to the driven shaft before the driving segment and the driven pinion come into driving engagement, and a second projection carried by the said driving segment for engaging the straight-edge portion of said plate in order to vertically align said straight-edge portion after operative engagement of the driving gear seg ment with the driven pinion.

5. In a typographical casting machine equipped with a power driven rotatable main cam shaft and a rotatable mold carrying disk, gear mechanism for rotating the mold disk periodically and comprising, in combination, a driving gear segment mounted on and rotatable with the main cam shaft, a driven pinion connected to the mold disk, and means operated from the main shaft and comprising a pair of momentarily engageable elements for initiating the rotation of the mold disk before the driving gear: segment comes into meshing engagement withv the driven pinion, one element being rotatable with the driving gear segment and the other element being rotatable with the driven pinion, and the two said elements making direct engagement with each other in initiating the rotation of the mold disk.

6. In or for a typographical casting machine, mold disk driving mechanism comprising, in combination, a driving gear segment, a driven shaft, a driven pinion mounted on said shaft, a square faced block fixed to the driven shaft, a shoe carried by the driving gear segment to cooperate with said block in holding the driven shaft against rotation after the driving gear segment and the driven pinion run out of engagement, a straight-edged element associated with the driven pinion, and a projection carried by the drivin gear segment to engage the straightedged element in advance of the engagement of the shoe with the square faced block.

PAUL HILPMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Linotype Machine Principles, Mergenthaler Linotype C0,, 1940.

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